Lawn sweeper assembly with adjustable brush assembly and hopper assembly and method of use thereof

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to a lawn sweeper designed to collect debris, such as grass clippings and leaves, from a surface such as a lawn, and more particularly to a lawn sweeper with an adjustable brush assembly and characteristics associated with improved storage of such a device. A user may adjust the brush assembly with respect to the housing without needing to move the wheels. The hopper assembly may include a panel movable to be placed in at least two orientations, thereby allowing a user to change the volume within which the hopper assembly may collect debris. Methods are also disclosed for adjusting the brush assembly and for storing a lawn sweeper unit.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application that claims priority toand the benefit of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/053,965, entitled “Lawn Sweeper Assembly with Adjustable BrushAssembly and Hopper Assembly and Method of Use Thereof,” which was filedon Mar. 24, 2008, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein byreference.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure generally relates to a lawn sweeper designed tocollect debris, such as grass clippings and leaves, from a surface suchas a lawn, and more particularly to a lawn sweeper with an adjustablebrush assembly and characteristics associated with improved storage ofsuch a device.

BACKGROUND

Lawn sweeping is a conventional technique used by many homeowners,gardeners, and groundskeepers to collect unwanted debris from a lawn.Such unwanted debris may include, for example, grass clippings, leaves(mulched or whole), and/or pine needles. A well groom lawn gives a goodfirst impression, whether the well groom lawn is associated with abusiness or a home. Furthermore, a well groomed lawn is part of livingthe “American dream.” For these reasons, among others, a need exists,for an improved lawn sweeper for collecting debris from a lawn.

Lawn sweepers are used in various ways for maintaining a well-groomedlawn. For example, groundskeepers will often mow a lawn, therebycreating grass clippings and autumn-shed leaves. In some instances,mulching the leaves is preferred, as many people are required to compactand bag their lawn refuse for pickup. Thus, a groundskeeper may evenmake multiple passes to further mulch the leaves and other lawn debris.

In brief detail, known lawn sweepers generally have a lawn sweeper unitfor actually collecting the lawn debris and a hopper for storing thecollected lawn debris. Known lawn sweeper units generally have a housingmounted on a set of wheels and a brush assembly including a brush, oftena rotating brush, that collects debris and places it into the hopper.The hopper may consist of a bag, or it may be made of any other suitablematerial capable of collecting and containing debris desired to becollected. Known lawn sweepers may be self-contained units, i.e., theymay further include an engine and be driven by a user. Other known lawnsweepers may, for example, be towed by a device such as a tractor orlawn mower.

The known lawn sweepers are not without their problems. For example, onefeature of some lawn sweepers is an adjustable wheel assembly thatallows the lawn sweeper's housing (and thus the attached brush assembly)to move with respect to the wheels. As such, the brush assembly may bepositioned at various positions with respect to the ground depending onthe debris being collected and the terrain over which a user iscollecting the debris. For example, if a user is collecting debris froma lawn that has longer grass, it may be desirable to position the brushfurther above the ground when sweeping the lawn than when sweeping alawn with shorter grass.

One problem with this feature, however, is that by adjusting the wheelassembly with respect to the housing, not only does the brush assembly'sposition change with respect to the ground, but the position of thehousing itself with respect to the ground also changes, which may beless than desirable in some instances. Also, the weight is carried bythe adjusting mechanism, rather than directly by the wheels. Forexample, some known lawn sweepers include a stop plate mounted to thehousing at the rear of the lawn sweeper unit (just behind the brush).The stop plate may, among other things, catch lawn debris that the brushmisses, thereby preventing the missed debris from remaining on the lawn.As the housing is raised with respect to the ground to allow the brushto be further from the ground, however, the distance between the bottomof the stop plate and the ground also increases since the stop plate isconnected to the housing in known solutions. Thus, larger debris maypass beneath the stop plate and remain on a swept lawn, which isundesirable.

Other problems also exist with the currently known methods of adjustingthe brush height of a lawn sweeper. For example, changing the height ofthe housing of a lawn sweeper may create problems with towing a lawnsweeper. For example, lawn sweepers often have a towing means, e.g., atow bar, fixedly mounted to the housing. By changing the height of thehousing, the height of the tow bar may also change, which may positionthe tow bar at an inadequate height for a given hitch on a towingapparatus, e.g., a tractor, lawn mower, all-terrain vehicle, etc.

Other problems are readily apparent in known lawn sweepers. For example,storage space is often limited, especially in homeowners' garages. Knownlawn sweepers often take up highly valued space and can createstorage-related problems. One known solution, for example, is adetachable hopper assembly, thereby allowing a user to store two smallercomponents (i.e., the hopper assembly and the lawn sweeper unit). Forexample, the hopper assembly may be stored by hanging it on a wall whileallowing the lawn sweeper unit to take up less space on a groundposition.

Therefore, in view of the above-noted problems with known lawn sweepers,among others, a need exists in the art for an improved lawn sweeper thatretains all the functionality of the prior designs yet is without theundesirable characteristics of the known solutions. A need exists, forexample, for an improved lawn sweeper that allows for a brush adjustmentwithout the disadvantages of the current solutions. Further, as anotherexample, a need also exists for a lawn sweeper that is more easilystored and takes up less storage space when not in use.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure generally relates to a lawn sweeper designed tocollect debris, such as grass clippings and leaves, from a surface suchas a lawn, and more particularly to a lawn sweeper with an adjustablebrush assembly and characteristics associated with improved storage ofsuch a device.

In one example embodiment, a lawn sweeper assembly includes a lawnsweeper unit and a hopper bag assembly. The lawn sweeper unit includes ahousing having a front panel and two side panels, a first and secondwheel connected to the side panels, and a brush assembly connected tothe housing, either directly or indirectly, such as being connected to amounting bracket or the axles of the wheels. The brush assembly isadjustable to more than one position with respect to the housing withoutrequiring the wheels to move in order to make the brush assemblyadjustment. For example, the brush assembly may rotate about the axle(s)of the wheels. The hopper bag assembly is connected to the lawn sweeperunit and includes a frame and a bag supported by the frame forcollecting debris.

In another example, a hopper assembly has a panel movably connected tothe frame and/or another panel. The panel is movable to be placed in afirst orientation or a second orientation. In the first orientation, thevolume for collecting debris within the hopper is smaller than when thepanel is in the second orientation.

In another example embodiment, the hopper assembly may further include afiltering panel that allows smaller debris, such as grass, to exit thehopper assembly while retaining larger debris, such as leaves, withinthe hopper assembly. In one example, the filtering panel is removable,which may allow a user to replace the filtering panel with a differentfiltering panel, perhaps having a different filtering threshold (whichmay, for example, include a solid filtering panel that does not allowany debris to pass).

A method for adjusting a brush assembly connected to a lawn sweeper unitis also disclosed that includes disengaging a locking mechanismassociated with the brush assembly, moving the brush assembly withrespect to the housing without requiring the wheels to move to make theadjustment, and then engaging the locking mechanism.

Another example method for storing a lawn sweeper unit is also disclosedand includes removing an attached hopper assembly from a lawn sweeperunit, folding a hitch tube on the lawn sweeper unit, and storing thelawn sweeper unit in a storage position. The method may also includefolding at least one assembly support bar.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Certain embodiments are shown in the drawings. However, it is understoodthat the present disclosure is not limited to the arrangements andinstrumentality shown in the attached drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example of a lawn sweeper assemblyincluding a lawn sweeper unit and a hopper assembly;

FIG. 2 is a half perspective side view of an example of a lawn sweeperunit without a wheel removed to illustrate, among other things, thebrush assembly;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a portion of the example lawn sweeper unit ofFIGS. 1 and 2 illustrating, among other things, an example of the brushassembly;

FIG. 4 is a portion of a bottom-side view showing an example of the lawnsweeper unit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a side perspective view of the example lawn sweeper assemblyof FIG. 1 without a bag attached to the hopper assembly;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of one example of a hopper assembly with asecond bottom surface panel in a first orientation;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of one example of the hopper assembly ofFIG. 6 with the second bottom surface panel in a second orientation;

FIG. 8 is a side view of another example of a hopper assembly includinga bag;

FIG. 9 is a top view of the example lawn sweeper unit of FIG. 1, withouta hopper assembly, illustrating an example of a folding hitch tube;

FIG. 10 is a top view of the example lawn sweeper unit of FIG. 1,without a hopper assembly, illustrating an example of a folding hitchtube in a centered position along a tow bar;

FIG. 11 is a top view of the example lawn sweeper unit of FIG. 1,without a hopper assembly, illustrating an example of a folding hitchtube in an offset position along a tow bar; and

FIG. 12 is a top view of the example lawn sweeper unit of FIG. 1,without a hopper assembly, illustrating an example of folding hopperassembly support bars.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For the purposes of promoting and understanding the principles disclosedherein, references are now made to the preferred embodiments illustratedin the drawings and specific language is used to describe the same. Itis nevertheless understood that no limitation of the scope of theinvention is thereby intended. Such alterations and furthermodifications in the illustrated device and such further applications ofthe principles disclosed as illustrated herein are contemplated as wouldnormally occur to one skilled in the art to which this disclosurerelates.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a lawn sweeper assembly 100. Lawnsweeper assembly 100 includes lawn sweeper unit 102 and hopper assembly104, which in one example may be a hopper bag assembly (i.e., the hopperassembly 104 may include a bag, although in other examples, the hopperassembly 104 may include any suitable means for retaining collecteddebris, such as a more rigid plastic hopper or other suitablecontainer).

The lawn sweeper unit 102 contains a housing 106, which includes a frontpanel 108, a first side panel 110, and a second side panel 112. In theparticular example shown in FIG. 1, front panel 108 forms a convexsurface such that the front panel 108 forms a front and top surface. Thehousing 106 may also include separate top panel and front panel, ifdesired. Furthermore, the housing may be formed from a common molddefining the panels 108, 110, and 112. One having ordinary skill in theart will recognize other alternatives for forming housing 106.

The lawn sweeper unit 102 also includes a first wheel 114 connected tothe first side panel 110. A second wheel (not shown) is also connectedto the second side panel 112 of housing 106. The wheels 114 may beconnected to the side panels 110, 112 by any suitable means. As bestseen in FIGS. 2 and 4, for example, wheel 114 is connected to side panel110 by a single axle 116. Axle 116 is connected to only the first wheel114 such that the second wheel is on a second, separate axle and maytherefore rotate independently of the first wheel 114, although it isunderstood that the first wheel 114 and second wheel could share acommon axle. It is further understood that the wheels may be connectedto the housing 106 by any suitable means and in any suitable location.For example, instead of having an axle 116 directly connected to sidepanel 116, a mounting bracket may be used to, for example, extend thewheel a distance from the housing 106. As another example, the wheelsmay be connected to the front panel or any other suitable component ofthe lawn sweeper assembly 100. In this example, however, the wheels 114are in a fixed position with respect to the housing 106, i.e., since theaxle 116 is fixedly mounted to the side panel 110, the wheel 114attached to axle 116 may not move vertically with respect to thehousing; it may only move rotationally. As a result, the weight of thehousing 106 is carried directly by the wheels, further from theadjustable brush assembly as is commonly found in the prior art.

Lawn sweeper unit 102 further includes a brush assembly 118 connected tohousing 106. As is further described below, the brush assembly 118 isadjustable to more than one position with respect to the housing withoutrequiring the first wheel 114 or the second wheel to move with respectto the housing 106 for the brush assembly 118 to adjust to more than oneposition. As best shown in FIG. 2, brush assembly 118 includes a brushaxle 120 upon which a brush 122 (best shown in FIG. 3) may be mountedfor sweeping a lawn. Brush assembly 118 also includes a brush assemblybracket 124, connected to the brush axle 120, and having arotational-connecting mechanism 126 for mounting the brush assembly 118to the lawn sweeper unit 102. As best shown in FIG. 2, therotational-connecting mechanism 126 is an inner-circumferential surfaceforming an aperture in the brush assembly bracket 124, wherein theaperture is adapted to receive a rod 116 such that the brush assemblybracket 124 may rotate about the rod. As shown in FIG. 2, the rod 116 isaxle 116, as described above. The brush assembly 118 may also include abrush assembly bar 128 connected to the brush assembly bracket 124,which may, among other things, give added stability to the brushassembly 118 when mounted to a lawn sweeper unit 102.

In an embodiment where the brush assembly 118 includes a brush assemblybar 128, the side panel 110 may include a slit 130 through which thebrush assembly bar 128 may pass as the brush assembly 118 rotates aboutthe rod/axle 116. As one skilled in the art will recognize from thefigures, particularly FIGS. 2 and 3, the side panel 110 may also includea slot 132 through which the brush axle 120 may pass as the brushassembly 118 rotates.

One skilled in the art will appreciate, although not shown, that thesecond side panel 112 will include the necessary correspondingcomponents similar to those included in the first side panel 110. At aminimum, this includes a rod, similar to rod 116, upon which a second,corresponding brush assembly bracket (not shown) may rotate. It iscontemplated that the brush assembly bracket may also be within thehousing, not external to it.

FIG. 3 shows a close-up side view of a lawn sweeper unit 102. As shown,brush 122 may include several brush arms 302, 304, 306, 308. Anysuitable brush 122 known in the art may be used, however. Brush arms302-308 are connected to brush axle 120 (either directly or indirectly)and rotate about in the orientation shown in FIG. 3, rotate in aclockwise direction. Double-dotted line 310 represents the path that theouter ends 312, 314, 316, 318 of the brush arms 302-308 follow whilerotating.

In this particular example shown in FIG. 3, gear 320 is connected toaxle 116, which is in turn connected to wheel 114. Thus, as the lawnsweeper unit 102 moves across the ground, the wheels rotate in acounterclockwise direction, thereby causing gear 320 to also rotate in acounterclockwise direction. Gear 320 engages with gear 322, which isconnected to the brush axle 120. As such, the counterclockwise rotationof gear 320 causes gear 322, and thus the brush, to rotate in aclockwise direction. It should be understood, however, that any suitablemechanism now known or later developed may be used for rotating thebrush 122. For example, gear 322 may be a geared surface of brush axle120.

A locking mechanism 324 is also attached to the brush assembly bracket.The locking mechanism 324 may be, for example, include a knob 326 with apin 402 designed to pass through one of the plurality of holes 322-344,which are formed by an inner surface of the first side panel 110. Thelocking mechanism 324, when in an engaged position, may lock the brushassembly 118 into place such that the brush assembly may not rotateabout the axle of the first wheel or other mechanism allowing rotationattached to the housing 106. As one skilled in the art will appreciate,locking mechanism 324 may be any suitable locking mechanism, such as aspring-biased locking mechanism, a threaded locking mechanism, or a cliplocking mechanism.

FIG. 4 shows an angled perspective view from the bottom of the lawnsweeper assembly 102. One aspect of the present example embodiment notvisible in other views includes pin 402 of locking mechanism 324. Note,however, that the brush 122 is removed from this view but would beattached to the brush axle 120 (also not shown in this view) attached tothe brush assembly bracket 124 and passing through slot 132.

As initially shown in FIG. 2, the lawn sweeper unit 102 may also includea hopper support bar 202 connected to the housing 106. The hoppersupport bar 202 operates to support a hopper assembly 104, which isfurther discussed below. The hopper support bar 202, which may alsoinclude a corresponding hopper support bar 502, may be connected to thehousing at any suitable location, such as the top, inner portion of aside panel 110, 112, the top, outer portion of side panel 110, 112, orthe bottom, inner surface of the front panel 108. As best shown in FIG.12, the hopper assembly support bars 202, 502, in one exampleembodiment, are foldable in a direction as indicated by dotted lines1202, 1204. The hopper assembly support bars 202, 502 may be foldable byany suitable mechanism known in the art. For example, at pivot points1206, 1208, a bracket may be mounted to side panels 110, 112 that allowsthe hopper assembly support arms 202, 502 to rotate. Furthermore, thehopper assembly support arms 202, 502 may fold themselves, i.e., theymay not only fold about a bracket. In yet another variation, one end ofthe hopper assembly support arm 202, 502 may be fixedly attached to thehousing 106, and the hopper assembly support arms 202, 502 maythemselves fold. Among other things, foldable hopper assembly supportarms 202, 502 allow the lawn sweeper unit 102 to take up less space whennot in use.

The figures further show other features of the lawn sweeper unit 102.For example, an example embodiment that is to be towed behind a vehiclemay include a tow bar 134, which may be directly connected to housing106 or may be connected via tow bar mounting brackets 136, 138, whichextend the tow bar 134 a distance away from the housing 106. In theexample shown in FIG. 1, tow bar 106 is about the same width as thehousing and does not extend beyond the side panels 110, 112 of thehousing 106. However, tow bar 106 may be shorter or longer, if desired.

Hitch tube 140 may also be connected to the tow bar 134, and may be anysuitable hitch tube (such as a pin hitch or a ball hitch). As shown inFIGS. 1, 10, and 11, the hitch tube 140 may be connected to tow bar 134in such a way that it is movable. For example, the hitch tube 140 may beslidably connected to the tow bar 134 so that the lawn sweeper unit 102may, for example, be towed towards the side of a vehicle.

In one example and as best shown in FIG. 11, the hitch tube 140 may beslidably connected to tow bar 134 by a mounting bracket 142, whichincludes a top bracket 144, a corresponding bottom bracket 146 (notshown in FIG. 11 but shown in FIG. 1), and a first bolt 148 and secondbolt 150 for pulling the top bracket 144 and the bottom bracket 146towards each other to clamp the mounting bracket 142 to the tow bar 134such that it is not easily movable when the bolts 148, 150 aretightened. One skilled in the art, however, will recognize any number ofways to slidably connect the hitch tube 140 to the tow bar 134. Thehitch tube 140 may also be directly mounted to the housing 106. Becausethe width of tow bar 134 is less than the width of housing 106 in theexample embodiment of FIG. 1, the hitch tube 140 cannot function as anoffset towing arm that extends beyond the outer edges of the housing106. As shown in FIG. 10, among other figures, the hitch tube 140 maystill be placed in a location that is centered in respect to housing106.

In an interest to promote easy storage of the lawn sweeper unit 102, thehitch tube 140 may also be foldable, as illustrated, for example, inFIG. 9. For example, bolt 902 may be loosened to allow the hitch tube140 to rotate to a position towards the housing 106, as shown. It isunderstood, however, that any suitable means may be used to allow hitchtube 140 to fold.

Turning now to FIGS. 5-8, a hopper assembly 104 is shown. As discussedabove, hopper assembly 104 may be connected to the lawn sweeper unit 102to collect debris that the brush 122 of the lawn sweeper 102 sweeps intothe hopper assembly 104. The hopper assembly 104 may sit close to, ifnot against, the lawn sweeper assembly 102, as shown in FIG. 5. Thehopper assembly 104 may be attached directly to housing 106 or may beconnected and supported by hopper assembly support arms 202, 502. In apreferred embodiment, the hopper assembly 104 is detachable (i.e.,removable) from the lawn sweeper unit.

The hopper assembly 104 includes a frame 504 forming a volume 506 forcollecting debris having a first bottom side edge 508, a second bottomside edge 510, a bottom back edge 512, a first top side edge 514, asecond top side edge 516, and a top back edge 518. The frame may takeany suitable form as recognized by one skilled in the art, and may bemade of multiple pieces or a continuous piece of material. For example,as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a continuous piece of material forms the topside edge 516, top back edge 518, and top side edge 514 while acontinuous piece of material forms the bottom side edge 508, the bottomback edge 512, and the second bottom side edge 510. Each portion of theframe, however, could be a separate piece of material connectedtogether. Frame 504 may include any other suitable components, such assupport vertical support members 520, 522 or horizontal support member524.

The hopper assembly 104 also includes a bottom surface 602 having afirst bottom surface panel 604 fixedly connected to the frame 504.Although the first bottom surface panel 604 is fixedly connected, itdoes not mean that the first bottom surface panel 604 is not removable.Instead, “fixedly” is meant to suggest that when put in place andconnected to the frame, the bottom surface panel 604 is not designed tobe movable with respect to the frame in order to add functionality tothe hopper assembly 104.

The bottom surface 602 also includes a second bottom surface panel 606movably connected to at least one of: the first bottom surface panel 604and/or the frame 504. As such, the second bottom surface panel 606 canbe placed in at least a first orientation (shown in FIG. 6) or a secondorientation (such as that shown in FIG. 7 with the second bottom surfacepanel 606 being folded about hinge 608 and abutting first bottom surfacepanel 604). When in the first orientation, the volume for collectingdebris 506 is smaller than when in the second orientation. It is notedhowever, that a second orientation may include completely removing thesecond bottom surface panel 604.

The bottom surface 602 may also include a filtering panel 610 thatallows smaller debris, such as grass clippings, to exit the volume 506of the hopper assembly 104 while allowing the hopper assembly 104 toretain larger debris, such as leaves. The filtering panel 610 may takeany suitable form that discriminates, to some extent, between debriselements of different sizes. Thus, for example, filtering panel 610could be a grate, a grid, a series of holes in a panel, a net, or anyother suitable structure made of any suitable material. Furthermore, thefiltering panel 610 may be removable so that other filtering panels withdifferent filtering thresholds may be used in its place. For example,one filtering panel may have mesh openings 1⅝″ wide while anotherfiltering panel may have mesh openings measuring 1⅜″.

The filtering panel 610 may be attached to the hopper assembly 104 andthe second bottom surface panel 606 may be retained in the first orsecond orientation by any suitable means, such as a hook and loopmaterial, snaps, buttons, ties, or straps. For example, hook and loopmaterial 612 and 614 is used to hold the second bottom surface panel 606in the first orientation shown in FIG. 6 by connecting to the frame 504,while the hook and loop material 612, 614 holds the second bottomsurface panel 606 against the first bottom surface panel 604 in thesecond orientation shown in FIG. 7.

As best shown in FIG. 8, a hopper bag assembly 800 may include a frame802 and a bag 804 supported by the frame 802 for collecting debris. Thehopper bag assembly 800 is similar to hopper assembly 104, except itincludes a bag 804, and the frame 802 takes a different form. Thisillustrates, among other things, that a hopper assembly may take anysuitable shape or form. Furthermore, the bag may be made of any suitablematerial and may even be plastic panels (i.e., a hard cover “bag”) thatfit within the frame. Furthermore, the frame 802 may not even be aseparate component from the bag, i.e., the bag 804 could be a containermade of a rigid material and the “frame” 802 could be the edges of thecontainer for collecting debris.

Furthermore, one or more methods associated with a lawn sweeper assembly100 are readily apparent based on this disclosure. For example, a methodfor adjusting a brush assembly 118 connected to a lawn sweeper unit 102may include disengaging a locking mechanism 324 that is associated withthe brush assembly 118; moving the brush assembly with respect to thehousing 106 without moving the wheels with respect to the housing 106;and engaging (i.e., reengaging) the locking mechanism 324 such that thebrush assembly 118 is in a different position with respect to thehousing 106, thereby causing the brush 122 to be further from or closerto when the lawn sweeper unit 102 is in operation. The moving of thebrush assembly 118 may involve rotating a brush assembly bracket 124,associated with the brush assembly 118, about an axle 116 of a firstwheel 114 connected to the housing 106.

It is understood, however, that the method may include any interveningsteps and/or steps prior to or after the steps disclosed herein. It isfurther understood that in view of the described example embodiments ofa lawn sweeper unit 102 and a hopper assembly 104, other methods areapparent to one skilled in the art. For example, a method may includesliding a hitch tube 140 along a tow bar 134 from a first position to asecond position, folding a hitch tube 140, folding a hopper assemblysupport bar 202, 502, or removing or connecting a hopper assembly 104from/to a lawn sweeper unit 102 by, for example, using one or morehopper assembly support bars. Furthermore, the method may includestoring the lawn sweeper unit in a storage position. A storage positionmay include any position allows the lawn sweeper assembly 100 to occupyless space or in a preferable manner than when the lawn sweeper assembly100 is set up for operation. Thus, for example, removing the hopperassembly 104 may allow a user to hang the hopper assembly 104 out of theway while allowing the lawn sweeper unit to occupy less space on astorage surface, such as the floor of a garage or shed. Another storageposition may include having the hitch tube 140 folded in towards the towbar 134. When in this position, the hitch tube does not protrude as far,thereby allowing more convenient storage, as one skilled in the art willappreciate. Another storage position may include, for example, havingthe hopper assembly support bars 202, 502 folded (or even removed) tocreate a more compact unit for storage. One having ordinary skill in theart will recognize other storage positions (e.g., standing a lawnsweeper 102 on an end or in a non-operating orientation so that thefootprint of the lawn sweeper unit 102 is smaller).

In view of this disclosure, one skilled in the art will recognizeseveral advantages of the disclosed lawn sweeper assembly and methodsassociated therewith. For example, one skilled in the art will recognizethat a brush assembly 118 that is adjustable with respect to the housing106 without requiring wheels 114 to move allow the brush to operatecloser or more distant from the ground to sweep a lawn or other desiredsurface without changing the distance the housing 106 is from theground. Thus, for example, stopper plate 152 may be longer (since thehousing is never lowered towards the ground), thereby allowing stopperplate 152 to catch more debris that is not swept up by the brush 122. Asanother advantage, one skilled in the art will recognize that featuressuch as a foldable hitch and foldable hopper assembly support bars,among other things, will allow a user to store a lawn sweeper assembly100 in a preferred storage position which may, among other things, bemore compact and/or occupy a smaller overall footprint when in such astorage position.

Furthermore, while the particular preferred embodiments have been shownand described, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that changesand modifications may be made without departing from the teaching of thedisclosure. The matter set forth in the foregoing description andaccompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only and not aslimitation. The actual scope of the disclosure is intended to be definedin the following claims when viewed in their proper perspective based onthe related art.

1. A method comprising: actuating a knob of a locking mechanism disposedon an outer end of a bracket of a brush assembly to disengage thelocking mechanism from a side panel of a housing of a lawn sweeper unit;moving the outer end of the bracket with respect to the housing about awheel axle of the lawn sweeper unit fixed to the side panel to which thebracket is connected at an inner end such that a brush axle connected tothe bracket between the knob and the first wheel axle is likewise movedwithout movement of the wheel axle with respect to the housing; andactuating the knob to engage the locking mechanism to the side panel. 2.The method of claim 1, further comprising a ground engaging wheelrotatably connected to the wheel axle such that the outer end isdisposed external to an outer circumference of the wheel.
 3. The methodof claim 1, wherein the bracket is disposed external of the side panel.4. The method of claim 1, further comprising a ground engaging wheelrotatably connected to the wheel axle such that the bracket is disposedbetween the side panel and the wheel.
 5. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising a slot defined in the side panel through which the brush axleextends.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the knob is disposed adjacenta front surface of a front panel of the housing.
 7. The method of claim1, further comprising a ground engaging wheel rotatably connected to thewheel axle and disposed rearward of the knob disposed adjacent a frontsurface of a front panel of the housing.
 8. A method comprising:actuating a locking mechanism disposed on a bracket of a brush assemblyto disengage the locking mechanism from a side panel of a housing of alawn sweeper unit; and moving the bracket with respect to the housingabout a wheel axle of the lawn sweeper unit fixed to the side panel towhich the bracket is connected with that a brush axle connected to thebracket is likewise moved without movement of the wheel axle withrespect to the housing.
 9. The method of claim 8, further comprising aground engaging wheel rotatably connected to the wheel axle such that anouter end of the bracket is disposed external to an outer circumferenceof the wheel.
 10. The method of claim 8, wherein the bracket is disposedexternal of the side panel.
 11. The method of claim 8, furthercomprising a ground engaging wheel rotatably connected to the wheel axlesuch that the bracket is disposed between the side panel and the wheel.12. The method of claim 8, further comprising a slot defined in the sidepanel through which the brush axle extends.
 13. The method of claim 8,wherein the knob is disposed adjacent a front surface of a front panelof the housing.
 14. The method of claim 8, further comprising a groundengaging wheel rotatably connected to the wheel axle and disposedrearward of the knob disposed adjacent a front surface of a front panelof the housing.
 15. A lawn sweeper assembly comprising: a lawn sweeperunit including: a housing including a front panel, a first side panel,and a second side panel; a tow bar connected to the housing including ahitch tube slidably connected to the tow bar so as to be movable betweenthe first and second side panels, and foldable with respect to the towbar so as to be disposed in a storage orientation substantially parallelto the tow bar and within the first and second side panels; a brushassembly connected to the housing and adjustable to more than oneposition with respect to the ground so as to adjust a brush with respectto the ground; and a hopper bag assembly, connected to the lawn sweeperunit, including: a frame; and a bag supported by the frame forcollecting debris.
 16. The lawn sweeper assembly of claim 15, whereineach of the first and second side panels including a slot such that abrush axle connected to a bracket of the brush assembly extendstherethrough.
 17. The lawn sweeper assembly of claim 15, wherein amounting bracket is connected to the tow bar and the hitch tube and thehitch tube is movable through approximately 180 degrees regardless ofposition of the bracket on the tow bar.
 18. The lawn sweeper assembly ofclaim 15, wherein an operative orientation of the hitch tube is definedwhen the hitch tube is disposed normal to the tow bar regardless ofposition of the bracket on the tow bar.
 19. A method comprising:actuating a locking mechanism connected to an outer end of a bracket ofa brush assembly to disengage the locking mechanism from a side panel ofa housing of a lawn sweeper unit; moving the outer end of the bracketwith respect to the housing about a wheel axle of the lawn sweeper unitfixed to the side panel to which the bracket is connected at an innerportion such that a brush axle connected to the bracket between thelocking mechanism and the first wheel axle is likewise moved withoutmovement of the wheel axle with respect to the housing; and actuatingthe locking mechanism to engage the side panel.
 20. The method of claim19, further comprising a ground engaging wheel rotatably connected tothe wheel axle such that the outer end is disposed external to an outercircumference of the wheel.
 21. The method of claim 19, furthercomprising a ground engaging wheel rotatably connected to the wheel axlesuch that the bracket is disposed between the side panel and the wheel.22. The method of claim 19, wherein the knob is disposed adjacent afront surface of a front panel of the housing.
 23. A method comprising:actuating a locking mechanism connected to a bracket of a brush assemblyto disengage the locking mechanism from a side panel of a housing of alawn sweeper unit; and moving the bracket with respect to the housingabout a wheel axle of the lawn sweeper unit fixed to the side panel towhich the bracket is connected such that a brush axle connected to thebracket is likewise moved without movement of the wheel axle withrespect to the housing.
 24. The method of claim 23, further comprising aground engaging wheel rotatably connected to the wheel axle such that anouter end of the bracket is disposed external to an outer circumferenceof the wheel.
 25. The method of claim 23, further comprising a groundengaging wheel rotatably connected to the wheel axle such that thebracket is disposed between the side panel and the wheel.
 26. The methodof claim 23, wherein the knob is disposed adjacent a front surface of afront panel of the housing.
 27. A lawn sweeper assembly comprising: alawn sweeper unit including: a housing including a front panel, a firstside panel, and a second side panel; a tow bar connected to the housingincluding a hitch tube slidably connected to the tow bar so as to beselectively movable between the first and second side panels, andfoldable with respect to the tow bar so as to be disposed in a storageorientation substantially parallel to the tow bar and within the firstand second side panels; a brush assembly connected to the housing andadjustable to more than one position so as to adjust a brush withrespect to the ground; and a hopper bag assembly, connected to the lawnsweeper unit, including: a frame; and a bag supported by the frame forcollecting debris.
 28. The lawn sweeper assembly of claim 27, wherein amounting bracket is connected to the tow bar and the hitch tube and thehitch tube is movable through approximately 180 degrees regardless ofposition of the bracket on the tow bar.
 29. The lawn sweeper assembly ofclaim 27, wherein an operative orientation of the hitch tube is definedwhen the hitch tube is disposed normal to the tow bar regardless ofposition of the bracket on the tow bar.